The knock on the door reverberated in my head
like dynamite. It was a late night, the 20th Anniversary concert
tour of Great Big Sea was spectacular. As the cliché goes, it was the
soundtrack to my life. Now, I was feeling the ill-effects of the night out. My
head never felt like this 20 year ago.
on my door at 7:30 AM on a Sunday morning. My wife turned to me and said, “for
god’s sake go let him in, before he knocks again”.
to the door to let my old friend in…
bag of nails. The evidence clearly suggest that it was a large night”.
of coffee. I was thankful, and gestured for my friend to sit down.
invited to your anniversary celebration, especially considering the role I have
played”.
Gnarley was poking fun. Yet, the fear of forgetting my wedding anniversary
momentarily paralyzed my thoughts.
“Uncle Gnarley I don’t have any idea of what
you are talking about?”
completely slipped my mind.
at first. You are not gifted with the cognitive ability of a Russell Wangersky,
nor the pure talent of a Ray Guy. Yet, you have left a modest contribution to
the political scene in Newfoundland and Labrador”.
be a compliment from the old man.
the most fertile material a political pundit could ever cultivate”.
was incubated in opposition to the Muskrat Falls project, the largest public
policy initiative in a generation. The
ever changing reasoning for the project, along with the many communication
errors, has provided a natural subject for well over 70% of the posts from the
year.
aftermath of the PUB report being released. Initially, I thought that
Dunderdale got the result she deserved. Why should the PUB make a definitive
decision, when their terms of reference were intentionally restricted to such a
narrow focus? They were railroaded”.
indulgence he acquired from an old friend.
PUB decision was the best thing that could have ever happened to Dunderdale,
and the rest of her muskrat litter!”
name, my old friend had made yet another provocative proclamation.
don’t you explain this theory to me while I make some eggs”.
project schedule had the DG3 decision and project sanction being completed in
January of 2012. At this point in time the total project cost was $6.2 billion. When you strip out the escalation,
contingencies and the Maritime Link component the actual base cost was $3.9 billion for the link and the dam.
delayed by about 1 year. Within that time the base estimate had increased by
some $1.6 billion, an increase of some 41%!”
memories of 2012, but the old economist had a point.
All the discussions about Natural Gas, the loan guarantee, wind, and
econometric models really camouflaged the biggest issue. Despite Nalcor’s
assurances during the PUB hearings, that the DG2 numbers were robust, and built
with best industry practices, there was still a 41% increase”.
happened in April of 2012. Right now Dunderdale would be dealing with all the
fall-out from the Budget, on top of massive over-runs on her pet project. It
would be a perfect storm for defeat in 2015”
Wells did a favour to Dunderdale”. I
laughed, as I was sure that few within the PC Party would share this
opinion.
the base project cost was an issue which did not get the attention it deserved
in 2012.
DG3 numbers were released. Has
for the project?”
would think that the DG3 numbers were final, and 16.9 cents per kwhr is the
charge that we will see, on our Bill, in 2017.
However, the DG3 numbers were an estimate, and the rates are subject to
change.
that Government or Nalcor have provided an update on the project forecast spend
since the DG3 numbers last October”
information?”
involved with any major projects. However, there was generally a monthly or
quarterly report which would be issued to give the general financial position
of the Project when it got underway. The report would include such things as
the invoiced amount, committed costs, accrued costs, and total forecast life of
Project costs. These are updated when any subcontract is awarded, or a change
made to the Project schedule. This information should be readily available
along with schedule status, and key safety indicators”
the old academic. But, I remembered that
he had worked in the iron and other mines when he was still a graduate
student.
an idealistic view of the world. However, I firmly believe that Nalcor and
Government should be providing a quarterly report to the House of Assembly
which summarizes the performance of the project”
never happen”
good will had evaporated from his face.
Royal Commission, was that the House of Assembly should be regularly updated on
the total cost of these types of large projects when public money is being
used. This PC Government would not be wise to ignore the words of Mr. Justice
O’Reagan.
salaries at Nalcor, SNC and the Premier’s Office are paid for by you and me.
The consequence of the Government ignoring our basic democratic rights should
be as certain as your hangover the day after a Great Big Sea concert”
idealist. I could not totally agree that
the consequences of secrecy are so certain for a government in this modern
society. More likely, public apathy is
the greatest ally of any regressive government.
I only hope they lead to public engagement.
For this is the greatest ally of a functional democracy.
******************************************
Editor’s Note: This Post was written by “JM”, the anonymous researcher, writer and
presenter, to the PUB and in local Blogs, on the Muskrat Falls Project. JM has written a
number of Uncle Gnarley pieces, including, Gnarley’s Theory of Political Devolution, Parts I and II and The Great Revolutionary from the Shore and most recently THE QUEST FOR McLEOD’S DEEP THROAT. His latest Paper is entitled: Muskrat Falls Revenue Stream: Fact or Fiction
– Des Sullivan